Revive, Withered Hope
by Hitsukane
Summary: Kaai Yuki was just another ignored VOCALOID. All she wished for was to be a wonderful singer with the crowds cheering her name, not for some "magic user" to just steal her away from her home and force her into a contract; that's not her only problem: Some kid named Oliver acts very bitter towards her for reasons she can't understand... Sequel to "The Tainted Wings' Flight"
1. Prologue: Encounter

_Before you read the story, here's some things that I want you to do after you're done reading:_

_-I would like critiques on my writing, which I honestly haven't been getting much of__._

_-Tell me what you liked and didn't like about a chapter. Reactions from readers are very motivating y'know!_

_-If you catch a spelling or grammar error, copy and paste it on your critique and emphasize the error in the sentence! (If it's a logic error, explain as clearly as you can)_

_- Avoid putting BIG spoilers (such as character death) in your reviews, unless absolutely necessary._

_- This applies to this first chapter and all future chapters._

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The crowds cheered joyfully and wildly at the performance of their virtual diva, Hatsune Miku. Waving their glow-sticks to the beat as she was finishing the last few lines, the masses filled the area with their zest. The final sounds of the drum concluded the exciting concert followed by the shouting of countless VOCALOID fans. The 16- year-old exited as the lights faded and went backstage. "What did you guys think?!" the teal-haired teen asked with much happiness in her. "You looked great out there!" The Kagamine twins said in unison.

_How funny, the ones who labeled Miku as "World's Virtual Chipmunk" are congratulating her._ The young elementary student VOCALOID thought. Many of the VOCALOIDs were extremely jealous of Miku, especially the Kagamines and older VOCALOIDs, at her almost unexplainable popularity. She sometimes used the expression "yellow crayons turned green" to describe Rin and Len, for they hated being in Miku's shadow. _At least the two of you get concerts. Miki, Hiyama-sensei, and so many others will probably never know what it's like to be in stage. _She was drawing a picture of herself with crayons; the picture showed what appeared to be flashing lights, the same one used in Miku's performance: a work of art that reflected the dreams of the young VOCALOID. "Yuki-Chan, Yuki-Chan!" someone had called out. Kaai Yuki looked up to see SF-A2 Miki at the exit; the other VOCALOIDs nowhere in sight. She didn't have to look up to know who called her, for Miki had the robotic twinge similar to an UTAU in her voice, making it easy to distinguish in the grade school kid's ears.

"I'm coming!" Yuki shouted back to her friend. Putting her crayons back in the box and the picture in her book-bag, she ran off to catch up with her fellow AHS-Loid. Hiyama Kiyoteru was the designated driver for the three, plus Piko, to the VOCALOID house. As they drove, Miki kept trying to approach Yuki, but failed to receive attention every time. Noticing the Social neglect his crush was experiencing, Piko attempted talking to her. "So what'd you think of Miku's performance?" He asked, making Miki practically explode into a rant. Virtually no person in the vehicle liked Miku, yet Piko still asked that question. What Kiyoteru thought of her was questionable, but he was still likely to understand how the others felt. Yuki managed to catch a few words like "WHY IS SHE THE FRIKKIN' **MASCOT**" and "we're practically left in the dark as far as the world's concerned! Can we even get a chance?!" _How Miku is so oblivious to our envy, I don't get. That's one very dull crayon. A dull crayon loved by 'everyone', _thought Yuki starting her own inner rant, face turning pink in the process.

_Why does Miku get to be so popular? All the interviews, devoted fans, how she pops up in every search related to VOCALOID, all her original songs, why can't we have any of that? It's not like we're a pile of rotten apples are we? On top of that, I have one of the smallest chances to be on stage due to my age...even the wiki says that '__Yuki cannot sing like a professional singer as she is intended to sound like an amateur.'_

The words stung her artificial heart. Despite her constant efforts to sing well enough to be popular, they were fruitless in quite a few cases: her incessant checking on _**G**__**o**__**o**__**g**__**l**__**e**_and _**Vocaloid wiki**_ confirmed this.

Feeling more depressed, she snapped out of her pessimistic thoughts to hear the conclusion of Miki's rant: "AND SHE'S STILL TOO DUMB TO BE CONSIDERATE OF HOW WE FEEL!"

"Well, none of us act the way we feel around her" Kiyoteru stated.

"You're _defending_the '_World's Virtual Chipmunk_'?" Piko asked, quoting the Kagamines.

"I'm not on her side, nor do I dislike her for her success. Let's face it: If she weren't the most popular, the Kagamines would be; thus our jealousy would be directed towards two VOCALOIDs and not one. Miku makes it easier in a way."

"So true..." Miki thought aloud.

A few minutes later, Kiyoteru spoke again. "Anyone need a pit stop?"

"Sure" the three passengers said in unison. Before Kiyoteru even finished parking, the young VOCALOIDs walked right out of the car. Judging by the lack of drivein their walking, they didn't really have to use the bathroom. The building was white with spotless clear windows, it easily reflected the blue sky in beautiful quality. Miki and Piko walked ahead, but Yuki walked slowly. Suddenly, a chill went through her spine, and ended in her ears. _What was that? _She thought as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Anything wrong?" Kiyoteru asked his student.

"No! I'm fine! Thanks for worrying about me Sensei, but please don't do it!" she beamed, feigning for her teacher.

In the building, Miki, Piko, and Kiyoteru were all lined up, with many others, in front of a stand that was giving off a new flavor of 'mochi Ice Cream'. Yuki waited, coloring in the picture she had started. "Finished!" she said holding up her newest 'masterpiece'. _How nice it would be if it ever became reality..._

A sudden gust of wind occurred with the opening of a door, and Yuki's picture taken with it. "Eh?!" she rushed quickly after it. Along with her luck, the picture went right through an open window. "Aw, Man!" She took a quick look, and two more. She found a back door to go through and find her picture. Another gust of wind and her picture swept right past her face. Her reaction time was poor, thus she only managed to grab thin air. "Darn it!" she shouted.

Her moment of stupidity ended quickly, now she felt like she was hallucinating. An American Goldfinch was on the sidewalk a mere two feet in front of her. She blinked and rubbed her eyes multiple times before looking down again._ How is a Wild Canary in this part of Japan? Does it have an owner?_ She speculated. The out-of-place bird flew until it was at the top of the small sign that advertised the 'Mochi Ice Cream' that her friends were purchasing. Upon landing and adjusting itself, the finch turned its head so it instantly faced Yuki. Her facial expression showed how peculiar she thought the scenario was. Another odd observation was mentally noted in Yuki's memory log mind, or rather 'mind'. The bird appeared to..._illuminate_in a pale green type mist that was barely noticeable. She nearly jumped as a small, calm, yet ominous voice echoed in her ears.

"Is that you...Ainsley?"


	2. Chapter 1: Initiation, Part 1

Yuki waited a few moments to confirm whether or not she actually heard a _bird _talking, or if her ears were simply ringing. Suddenly, said bird was "talking" again. "Can you please tell me your full name?" The goldfinch's beak was not moving, yet she did not see anything else talking to her. Suspiciously, Yuki began walking closer and closer to the bird to see if she were still hallucinating. "A tad close, aren't we?" The bird tilted its head as it flapped its wings. "Uh…" Yuki still stood there with an awfully dumbfounded look.

"You are more than likely wondering: 'How is this bird talking to me? Have I gone mad?' But I assure you, you are quite sane, hopefully. Now will you please tell me your name?"

"Um...My name is Kaai Yuki...uh..._how_ areyou talking to me?" She scratched her cheek as she looked around to see multiple passerby looking at her strangely. "Hmm...How would I explain something so odd to you?" The bird looked up as though pondering. "Well, instead of wasting too much time on chatter, I'll just _show you._" The bird flew off the sign, landing gently. The green light Yuki thought she saw before _was_ surrounding the bird, but now it was much brighter. The same moment she saw the bird at its brightest, an adolescent boy appeared in its place. Yuki looked up at this person who was about a foot taller than her. His hair was yellow and brown, like the colors of his bird form. He wore a yellow shirt with striped sleeves and a dark-brown vest atop it, and his pants were matching in color with the vest; his choice in footwear was red sneakers. "Well then, 'Kaai Yuki', I guess I should tell you I'm a magic user" The boy gave a half-hearted smile. "You can call me James"

_I still feel like I've gone crazy..._ Yuki looked up at James, feeling quite apprehensive.

"If you don't mind, walk with me. Don't worry, I won't bite." James joked as he gestured for her to follow him. Even though Kiyoteru had warned her about talking to strangers, Yuki could not help but follow this odd person. If she had to guess, this was definitely a foreigner she was dealing with. He looked down at her as they walked and began to ask mildly suspicious questions. "Kaai, where are we located? What country?"

"Um...we're in Japan, James-san." She responded, wondering how on earth he wouldn't know what country he was in. _He's definitely a foreigner_ she mentally confirmed. "Do you have a family?" The foreigner in question asked Yuki.

"Sort of…not by blood, but I have many I love just like family." Yuki answered honestly, though she had wanted more to ask how James could transform, for it still left her clueless.

"I see" was all that the strange person had said. _Why can't I think of anything to say to him?_ Yuki thought as they continued walking. Aside from nailing him down with rude questions, Yuki did not know what to do with this teenager who called himself James. Instead, she had merely been staring at him as they walked.

Without warning, James had abruptly stopped; Yuki continued to face him directly. James made a cursory glance at the young girl, and then quickly looked up at a tree in front of them. "Stay here, please" he muttered in a virtually inaudible tone; Yuki barely heard him speak. _What is with his sudden change in mood?_ Yuki involuntarily twitched as James proceeded near the tree. She watched him as he gazed upwards at the tree, as if it were a spectacle. Once again the signature, blinding, light-green radiance occurred; James was once again a bird. This time he was a goldfinch only for the few seconds it took for him to fly up the tree. He returned to a humanly state shortly after landing. _There's no way I'm the only one that sees this right?_ Yuki looked around and realized that not only were people acting ignorant, she was also located in the Central Park area. _ I hope this ends quickly…Hiyama-sensei will be mad at me if I stay out too long!_ Yuki fidgeted in place until James called her out. "Kaai…" James started solemnly, contradicting his earlier mood.

"You can call me Yuki" she interrupted. James' awfully awkward pronunciation of her surname nearly made her upset, but it takes a lot for the young girl to display negative emotion.

"…_Yuki_…"James then continued. "Even though you think we have not met before, I want to ask you a favor. For this to be done, I have to take you to a certain place…"

"What place?" Yuki asked, slowly backing away. She recalled being warned about situations like this in school; she was making herself a potential victim of whatever James had in store for her. "I'm sorry, James-san" She gave a small bow. "But I have been away too long. My friends are probably looking for me now. I'm sorry—uh, bye!" She ran back towards the direction of the rest stop, not caring that multiple people were showing concern as to why she had been talking "to herself" for so long. James watched her flee from the height of the tree branch, sighing. _This may be my only chance. _He held out his hand, as though trying to reach her, and said with his eyes closed: _"Forgive me for forcing this burden upon you"_.

Suddenly, Yuki felt immense sickness. Her head and limbs ached, and her eyes felt as though burning. Her surroundings became indistinct as the infamous yellow-green brilliance appeared again. This time, she could not see what was causing it, nor anything else but circling lights, excruciatingly penetrating to the eyes. In recoil, the helpless young girl covered her eyes as the lights grew brighter and brighter, until the point that they almost shone through her hands. She felt like crying, but the tears more than likely would have burned her eyes at this point. She merely shuddered in fear, until everything became pitch dark.

_Yuki._

_Yuki..._

_Yuki!_

"Wha...?"She progressively stopped shuddering; her body was fairly cold. Slowly, Yuki removed her hands from in front of her face; James was looking down at her, concern faintly visible on his face. "Good, you got over it quickly. For a second I thought I would have to deal with another invalid."

"What do you mean by that?" Yuki asked, standing up and offended by the term 'invalid'.

"If you were either mentally or physically hurt, it would've been a burden to deal with you." James replied nonchalantly. "_Dealing with this situation is a burden to __**me**__." _Yuki muttered to herself, hoping James did not hear her. "Umm...so where am I? Where are _we?_"

"We're not in Japan anymore" James said with a provoking tone, but Yuki did not let that get to her. "More detail please?" Yuki, exaggerating her 'little girl' voice, was beginning to use sarcasm quite effectively.

"We just happen to be in a small town: an uninhabited one, in the United Kingdom. Is that enough detail for you? If not, just look around." James gestured to all of their surroundings with his arm; Yuki began to finally acknowledge her new environment.

The feeling was rather desolate. Contradicting the nice afternoon she was in a mere few minutes ago, the town was as dark as night. The houses were empty and appeared pitch black on the inside; with James not talking, it felt as if the whole world had gone silent. The eerie scenario led Yuki to shiver more than the occasional chilling breeze had. "_Why _did you bring me here?_"_ she asked, feeling scared.

"Because trying to ask you in Japan seemed to encourage you enough to try and flee"

"Oh. If that's all, we can go back." Yuki was visibly scared at this point, for her smile was quite nervous, and her body was slightly twitching. "We're not going back. I see no point since I would have inevitably brought you here anyway." James began to walk towards a nearby tree. Yuki reluctantly followed. For the umpteenth time, a hideous flash occurred, making Yuki flinch; after a moment had passed, she looked up and saw him as a bird on a tree.

"Will you tell me the _real _reason why you brought me here now?_" _The young girl was growing impatient with the bird's stalling.

"You'll get your answer soon enough; you'll regret asking for it." The bird chirped; Yuki gulped as he finished his answer. _What on Earth is happening? Am I gonna die or what?_ If Yuki were human, she would have been sweating out of fear by now. Every passing second made her feel like she was going crazy. To break the terrible silence, a piercing whistle was heard; James flew off the tree, heading to the sound's source.

"_You should probably follow me. This isn't a place you want to get lost in."_ James had said before leaving, yet Yuki was still hesitant to do as he instructed.

_I almost wanna cry...My picture's gone and I'm definitely not getting my ice cream now! What's worse…I know being here is dangerous, but do I even have a choice?_

Yuki shook her head, knowing that timid thoughts would get her nowhere. The only direction that could be taken was forward, to the sound and the current source of her misery.

Without wasting another moment, she ran towards her uncertain future.

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Remember: Please leave a critique on my writing and a general opinion of the story.

Spotting out errors and telling me about them would be appreciated too.


	3. Chapter 2: Initiation, Part 2

**I'm sincerely sorry for taking so long to update(Omfg it's been like 2 months). Hope I didn't give the impression I was dumping that story. School and sports and all has kept me SWAMPED in busy work. I'll try to update once a month, but It's seriously hard right now sorry.**

**Thank you guys so much in advance for dropping by such lovely and helpful reviews. (Seriously, at least bug me about updating. )**

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Yuki, throughout all nine years of her life, had not run this quickly until this very moment. Her body was growing more and more depleted of energy, but James was still nowhere in sight, frustrating her. _What if he turned? Am I just wasting my time?_ She thought every few minutes. The seemingly endless road that she was running on eventually came to an end, when she saw a very dull-looking shed. The first thing she faced, besides the door, was a handwritten note which said:

'_Sorry for any inconvenience, but please wait out here until I ask you to come in. You'll find it better to just wait, trust me. If it feels any better, I left you a snack or two by the window._

_-James'_

Yuki stood looking at the note, completely clueless. _Is this in English?_ The young student vocaloid vaguely recognized some of the smaller words, but wondered why James would speak to her in Japanese, yet write a note to her in English. _This guy is so weird…_ Yuki thought as she tried to piece some of the keywords together.

_Sorry…wait…trust…me…snacks?_ Yuki looked around, not seeing anything edible, but finally noticed a very small basket nearby the sole window of the shed. Without much thought, she shuffled over to it and looked inside. There were three apples inside, causing her to let out a happy squeal. For at least a few moments, Yuki forgot about her bleak situation. _How did he know apples were my favorite, Magic or a lucky guess? Knowing him, he probably just got something random…but at least I won't go hungry!_ She bit into the apple, loving the slightly tart flavor its juices gave. The first bite alone wet her appetite greatly; before she even realized, all three of the delicious apples were gone. Yuki let out a small burp, but then covered her mouth as though embarrassed.

With nothing else to do after eating, Yuki took out some drawing materials. If there was an alternative, she certainly would have taken it, for she was not in any mood to draw. Unfortunately for Yuki, an alternative happened quickly as she began to hear shouting, which made her leap and drop her crayon box. The first shout sounded like a shriek; no words were distinct. Her curiosity was aroused now, so she leaned against the window to listen. Yuki instantly recognized James' voice and was startled to hear his voice in such an enraged tone. She then heard another voice, much younger-sounding in comparison. _Wow…these two are really mad…is the other person a boy or a girl?_ Yuki wondered as she heard the person shout repeatedly. The sound of his or her voice was very gender neutral, if not girly when shouting. She leaned in closer and was finally able to understand some words that James' was saying.

"Will you for once consider the fact that I have been going out of my way to do this?! I have not enjoyed a single moment of it! Stop fussing when you can't do anything about it!" James was shouting at the top if his lungs; he almost sounded scary, like a parent that was admonishing a child to an extremely harsh extent.

"I… _never_… wanted you to do _anything_ about it!" The other person returned James' volume, sounding as though he or she was on the verge of tears. Barely a second after, the door was slammed open; a person had run out too quickly for Yuki to tell what he or she looked like.

James walked out of the shed not too long after the other person had disappeared. His head was slightly hanging as though he were ashamed; he took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Without looking up, he said "Sorry to keep you waiting". Yuki looked at him perplexed. She was not sure to be scared or upset in this situation, so she just simply remained quiet. "I don't mind" she eventually said as she walked toward him. James was completely silent, staring blankly at the low-lit path ahead of him.

"Who was that?" Yuki asked, not wanting to ask anything too insensitive; He shook his head, as though he not once acknowledged her, and proceed walking down the path that the emotional person traveled. Using the finite interpretation skills she had been developing in grade school, Yuki decided it was important to find this runaway in question, so she began an energetic stride down the rough path.

At first, it seemed as though Yuki would have accomplished some goal if she gave chase. Sadly, she had only managed to get herself entirely lost in the virtually pitch-black portion of the neighborhood. The young girl was instantly reminded of the nightmares she would occasionally have similar in nature to this scenario. Oddly enough, the darker sections of this ghost-town-like area were pleasantly tepid, unlike the chilling section the shed was located in. Adjusting vision to the darkness was currently an impossible task; Yuki felt her way, constantly groping thin air and spasmodically tripping over objects in various sizes, presumably rocks.

After traveling blind-eyed for several minutes, Yuki caught a dim ray of light in her eye. Not a thought in her head, only instinct, took place at this point. Once Yuki managed to find something she assumed was a doorknob, she turned it, revealing the only room she was to enter so far in her journey or sorts. The dim lighting was a beautiful yellow, putting James' colors to shame. The room was fairly small; it had lovely furniture, reminding Yuki of a dollhouse. The mysterious atmosphere that her situation provided made this room seem even more mystical. After gawking at her surroundings, Yuki heard a sound, or rather a tune being hummed. It came from the corner of the room, just as unseen as the source of light. Curiosity took over Yuki's mind once again as she began to edge toward the light-hearted music she heard.

A deep brown wall covered in shadow, a small blanket, and a seemingly asleep child were in the corner. Since the environment seemed to be utterly unpopulated, Yuki assumed that this young blond child was the one screaming at James not too far in the past. Upon further observation, she concluded that he must have been slightly older than her. _More than likely he ran away because of anger, but why run to such a dusty place? _Yuki wafted away the particles from her face as she began ruminating more about this child. He was finely dressed in a small black suit, though it did look rather cheap compared to most she had seen; he was rather pale, his skin reminded her of the insides of apples. She guessed that his hair must have been neatly combed before he lay on the unclean floor. Overall he looked decent, aside from the bandages over his eye, making him look inapposite in such a lowly-maintained corner. The young boy had never stopped humming, but the sound quieted down to the tranquil whisper of a lullaby. In likeness to how a light-green color illuminated James, the angelic golden yellow seemed to surround this young boy. Yuki had unknowingly been creeping closer to him, as though drawn, but she eventually realized his eyes were open.

She jerked back in surprise, for the boy had an extremely disgusted expression; it was almost _accusing. _"What do you want from me?" he said bitterly. "Can't you see I was sleeping?! Why are you even here? _How_ are you even here?!" _It looks like he's still mad..._ Yuki backed away; he edged closer for each step she took back. The yellow light no longer appeared angelic, but dull as the boy grew more angry. "I-I'm here because of-" Yuki accidentally bumped into a cabinet; her fall made her look even more like a coward, though she was already easily intimidated. She got up as quick as she went down; just then, James appeared in the room.

"Oliver, don't take anything out on her. She hasn't done anything to you." The tone of James' voice was more soothing yet cautious in comparison to before.

"Lies! You were with me my whole life and should know that she abandoned me then went crying to her mummy as though she were the victim! What was your point of bringing _Ainsley _here?!" Oliver shouted, his anger more obvious than originally thought possible. Yuki was still backing away as James continued trying to talk to the boy.

"This girl isn't Ainsley, calm yourself" James said. "Don't let your petty hate hurt this girl's feelings, she came to help."

"After I _died!_" Oliver threw his hands up in the air; he was showing every possible sign for staring a tantrum, yet did not do it. Instead, he slowly let his arms fall, took in a deep breath, and remained silent for several seconds. Just as James was about to speak, Oliver said, oddly calm:

"James. I _am_ thankful for what you've been trying to do, whatever it may be. But, there's no chance that your plan is going to work...Just look at me! I'm in my burial clothes! Any person who cared for me must be long dead now, and you're just one bird playing human! What exactly do you expect a little girl to do?"

"I'm not that little!" Yuki grumbled, completely ignored.

"And these burial clothes made me look a lot better than I did when I died!" Just as Oliver spoke, the yellow light became blinding, but faded quickly. Yuki wanted to scream at the standing corpse she saw. Oliver noticed her reaction and smirked.

"I look _wonderful_ don't I? C'mon, take a good look!" Oliver displayed his body like a star: It was filthy and marred, dried blood was splattered over his garments, which were now different from the suit he had on. He had on a dark-blue jacket, black shorts, and a top that looked like it used to be white. Most repulsive was the bullet-hole in the center of his chest. One more flash and he was back to "normal". The silence they spent gazing into each-others eyes felt more discouraging than any word uttered.

"I'm as dead as dead can be. Just...give up. We're all tired...I need to find another place to nap" Oliver shuffled pass both James and Yuki, slamming the door behind him.

James had expected a situation similar to this and therefore regretting not arriving earlier. This time around, with Yuki frightened, was not a time to feel self-hatred. Instead, James kneeled down until he was approximately her height. Hesitantly, he held up his hand as though to comfort Yuki, but he had a hard time seeing her since Oliver's absence, for he was the source of light. "Are you okay? You're not scared are you?"

"What does it look like? Did you expect me to enjoy it?!" Yuki answered with a more maddened tone than she had intended; her teary-eyed face was now easily being hinted at this point. Like a father might have done, James patted her head a bit, messing with her hair. "I'll explain it all to you soon."

"It's about time. Making me go through all this then patting me on the head like I'm a stupid little kid when I—" Yuki was muttering in anger until James shushed her. "It's okay" The light gradually returned to the room, but now it was the color of dying grass. _How depressing..._Yuki thought as she looked directly into James' face.

"I did not mean now" James said, his finger still over her lip to keep her quiet. "First, you have to help me with Oliver, that other kid who was edgy just now." _If he has to deal with this Oliver person everyday, then James-san really does need help, but I don't want to do it._

"Sorry, I know this is too much to ask of a normal person, but you don't have a choice. I'm not letting you go back to your home until this trauma of mine is finally over." James' tone was hardly threatening, but his words left Yuki terrified. The thought of being trapped in such a lonesome place with company as terrible as two selfish boys with anger issues was a pure nightmare. "Okay I'll do it!" Yuki said rather hurried. "I don't want to be here forever. People will worry about me! What do I have to do?"

"...Hm" James looked down at Yuki, wondering if he had made the right choice of involving her. As of that moment she did not seem to be a reliable person, but he knew the circumstances would not allow him to choose another at this point. James gave Yuki a smile, filled with self pity. "Good, we should get started now. Oliver will be asleep very soon; that's when we will take the opportunity."

"The opportunity to do what?" Yuki asked curiously, earning an airy laugh from James.

"To learn the reason why you're here, and hopefully make you understand that we're not as awfully...'selfish' as you perceive. Be quick following me. I won't slow down." James transformed into a bird and began flying away; Yuki ran after him with both determination and dread.

_Why is everything taking so long? What do I have to understand understand? Why did James choose me?!_

This chase was much shorter in comparison to the previous, but what she found was more sick than before to her. The sight made no sense to her: It appeared that James' hands were on top of Oliver's head; he was pressing hard against it, as tough trying to crush the head, Oliver remained sound asleep. Yuki crept closer towards this spectacle. Any person who viewed this scenario would have seen James as some sort of sick killer, his face even matched the intensity.

Oliver then let out a blood-curdling scream, much later than he should have. Yuki literally fell back when she heard it. Oliver let out a high-pitched grunt and then went silent. Yuki looked up to see James, who was also gazing upwards towards the most odd thing yet: There seemed to be a blood-colored object floating above Oliver's head. James touched it, causing it to expand by a great amount. The figure then started glowing faintly, unlike all of the burning rays that Yuki would surely need to get her eyes fixed for.

"What are you waiting for?" James asked Yuki, causing her to look down.

"Oliver is fine...or at least his typical miserable, don't worry about him now. Step into it." James moved his hand and it seemed that the strange glowing object was moving in respect to it..It was now on the ground directly in front of Yuki, who could not have felt more disturbed. She hesitantly put out her foot immediately felt swept in, letting out a cry as she went down. A few seconds passed and she felt more like she was floating than falling. She suddenly realized that James had said to "relax as you go in to cause safe travel."

_Travel to what? I can't even see my own hands in here! _

Yuki took a deep breath and relaxed as James said, knowing that things should no longer be questioned in this mild dystopia she was in, and plummeted further into the darkness.


	4. Chapter 3: Dreary Reminiscence, Part 1

The wind blew gently, the dead leaves dancing freely in the colorless sky, before they landed on a damp moldy pier which shined dully in the moonlight.

Not too far off the filthy pier was Yuki, who was lying asleep on the sand which coated most of her hair and bottom. She lay like an old abandoned doll with no one to claim her. The description of "dead tired" would be a compliment in comparison to the exhausted face the young girl wore. Not one muscle budged until a leaf brushed against her face, manifesting an uncomfortable itch. Yuki raised her hand, unknowing of the layer of sand on her fingers, and gently rubbed the area. As this happened multiple grains of sand welcomed themselves into her nostrils; she woke herself up with a very loud sneeze.

Groggily, Yuki rose up from her gritty resting place and rubbed her arm against her nose to collect unnecessary moisture. The new scenery felt more inviting than the pitch-black darkness she was in not too long ago, but it was still a rather homely setting. Yuki assumed that it was night, for it was fairly gloomy. Then again, it could always be like this here. _How could I tell if it's day or night?_ Yuki began to walk around, and James' voice suddenly sounded; it was like an echo in her ears.

_Yuki, can you hear me? _

"Yes?" She looked around for any person or animal of sorts, but it seemed that she was the only living thing for miles, if robotic vocaloids could be considered organisms.

_Don't bother looking for me, I'm not anywhere. I'm talking in your mind. Cool, right? Also, you can simply think a reply and I'll hear it. If there's something you don't want me to know, keep an innocent mind._ James suggested.

_That's creepy..._

_Agreed. Anyhow, here's another partial explanation for you to indulge yourself in. You are like a ghost here, so don't try to speak to anyone. They will not see or hear you_. He informed.

"Wait, there are people here?" Yuki questioned out loud, getting over the fact that she now had her thoughts as readable as a book. If there were people around, she could gladly cope with the lack of privacy.

_Remember, you will not be able to communicate with people here. They will not see you._ James emphasized, for he knew Yuki desperately wished for a normal social environment. _Just watch, you may walk around as you please._ He spoke no more afterward.

_What is there to watch? I'm so alone now_... Yuki began to walk around as James suggested to her.

As Yuki wandered, it seemed as though the environment was being livened. The initially colorless sky evolved into a deep dark blue, just like what she was used to. She smiled a little bit and began to hum a tune. Sea salt and mold mixed together to make an awfully intoxicating scent in the air. It was much more natural than the modern day cities in Japan.

Although it seemed like she had all the time in the world, Yuki made a hasty movement around the beach area, then to the pier. _If there are people here, then I wanna see them. James-san said that I can't talk to anyone, but that would be boring... _Yuki realized that the way off the pier involved getting over a series of rocks. _Aw, man..._ Yuki thought as she proceeded up the jagged slope. She felt as though she were climbing rather than walking not long after she started.

Abruptly, two figures came sprinting towards her direction. "Whoa!" She said aloud, wobbling as she tried to get off the last rock. Unfortunately, she could not get out of the way fast enough, so one of them ran right into her, causing her to fall and tumble down the rough boulders. Unlike Yuki, the two people continued running as though she were not there, not even the slightest bit hurt.

"Ow..." She rubbed her throbbing head as her limbs ached. Yuki did not get how they were unaffected and she was in pain.

_Wait... they ran through me, not into me, so why did I fall?_ Yuki came to the conclusion that logic itself would be defied when it came to her presence.

Nevertheless, she went to follow the two figures, which went in the direction of the pier. Yuki was feeling exhilarated now that there were people; she almost matched their speed as she followed their path. The footsteps the two had made led under the pier, but faded. Yuki saw no sign that they went pass the pier, so she headed under the moldy wooden platform, which had an odor that could kill. She stumbled almost instantly, for there were multiple rocks under the pier as well. Though the ground was mostly sand, it felt rather hard under her feet. At the end of the path, there was an open cave, a rather small one.

Yuki carelessly walked inside, for she was apparently invisible to everyone. Her careless mood was sapped out of her instantly, however, when an unpleasantly familiar boy sat directly in front of her.

"Hey Ollie, this has got to be the best one yet!" a childish voice spoke.

"Of course! We've never nabbed this much food since-"

"Ever!" The little girl voice interrupted Oliver's statement. This young girl's presence must have calmed down Yuki by a significant amount, for Yuki was able to take notice of one major detail: Oliver had two eyes.

_This must be before we met..._ Yuki concluded, and then had an even bigger realization. _James must have sent me to the past!_ _What for though?_ Yuki grinned. She felt as though she had a role of a detective, or something similar._ Maybe listening to these two will give me a hint..._

She sat down where she stood, not wanting to get any closer. Before listening to their talk, Yuki examined their physical features. They looked quite identical. Hair, eyes, and certain aspects of their clothing matched almost perfectly, though the girl tended to be a tad more 'frilly', in a way. Yuki also noted the cherubic look both shared; it overpowered her own childish charm, though not by much. They were possibly two years younger than her programmed age, which was nine years. After she finished analyzing, Yuki began to listen to what they were saying, through the sound of loud chewing.

"Oh my goodness, even the taste is better than last night's grab!" The girl slobbered as she spoke choppy and fast. It was clear that she was never taught table manners in her younger years.

"Keep the taste in your mouth will ya Olivia? We don't have food to waste; if we manage right, this food can last us for about two more days!" Oliver's response would have earned an audible laugh from Yuki, if she were not a 'ghost'.

Olivia took another sample of food: a handful of grapes. She looked at the fruit as though it were odd; she put one in her mouth as though testing it. After one bite the rest were devoured quickly, all in one shot.

"You're eating like a little piglet!" Oliver laughed, then abruptly gasped. Olivia's gaze descended down to her knees; she had on the expression of a scolded child. Oliver hit himself in the chest a few times, for he might have been choking, and then let out a cough. He went still afterward. This sudden change in mood made Yuki feel bewildered. _What's going on?_ She paid close attention, as though she were viewing a film and was at the emotional part; her heart swelled a bit. Olivia broke the silence.

"Y know..."

"Yes?" Oliver asked, though his expression revealed he knew what was going to be said next.

"...Mom used to say that...what you just said...all the time when we would go out eating with Daddy..." Olivia let out a sigh; Oliver echoed it.

In a mere blink everything went dark.

Yuki was at first startled, but she knew that James was up to something. Just as she thought of him, she heard his voice:

_Don't get comfortable, there's_ _more_. Yuki started to levitate. The lack of gravity did not endure for long. As soon as she was in a standing position, she was dropped, safely landing on her feet.

_Sorry, that was a mistake_. James apologized. She began floating again, but her feet were barely off the ground. The world around her gradually became visible again, but the scenery was different, almost a complete opposite. It was broad daylight; the area was traught with countless people. There was a huge lack in technology, and it seemed that products were being exchanged everywhere.

_There's no way I'm not in the past! This must be some really old shopping place or something. It looks even better than in movies... _Yuki let her eyes study the sight. There were people with various appearances: it was easiest to notice who was clean and who was not.

Yuki's body moved hastily and involuntarily. Her movement made her recall how some anime characters could effortlessly conduct flight; she laughed when she would go right through a person as though he or she was thin air.

Yuki looked down and saw a greyish cloth covering an object of sorts, leaning against the wall. Yuki had evidently gained control of her body, for she could willingly lower herself. The supposed 'object' bulged negligibly. Stray blond hairs poked out of the cloth; one could tell it was Oliver if he or she had gone through even half the events Yuki did. This young boy seemed to be focused intensely as he stared at the neighboring station, for the sailor-merchants were unloading cargo. Suddenly switching angles, Yuki could now see Olivia, who wore a darker colored cloth. She did not have her head covered at the time.

The two were waiting for a certain amount of cargo to be loaded; when that took place, they exchanged signals and advanced into the supply. From each barrel, the twins had taken a small amount of fruit. By the end of their gathering, both of their arms had enough items that they were even dropping some. Oliver tried to regain some fallen items, accidentally bumping into one of the barrels. He jolted as though his heart was going to stop, and then quickly backed away. Olivia mimicked this movement, for it was likely they would have been caught otherwise.

Yuki watched the two flee the scene as she heard the exclamation of a grown man. This man looked mildly buff, but his irked expression was more than threatening. Yuki reacted simultaneously with the man as people began to shout, "Thieves!"

_Looks like someone was caught._ Yuki thought as she began to follow the sound. Events grew slightly more dramatic each passing second. Oliver and Olivia were being chased by the merchant that Yuki had seen not so long ago; they were sprinting even faster than when Yuki first saw them. However, it was evident that Olivia was wearing out, for she lagged behind Oliver by a noticeable amount of inches. Since the merchant was catching up, the two split. The man chose to pursue Olivia, and she seemed to be panicking greatly. Meanwhile, Yuki saw that Oliver was running in a large circle, as though planning to meet up with with Olivia. _Bad Idea..._Yuki felt like a spectator of sorts witnessing all of this.

Olivia was now cornered. Her body was trembling greatly and she dropped another apple.

_What a waste of an apple!_ Yuki noted, despite the seriousness of the situation she was observing. After regaining focus, she saw a sharp blade in her view. The merchant had pulled out a small yet deadly-looking pocketknife. Olivia's fear was palpable at this moment; sweat dripped from down her neck and chin. The suspense climaxed as Olivia began to sprint towards the merchant's direction, more than likely planning to run around him. The man then tried to grab Olivia by the arm, his blade was not aimed, Yuki noted, but it appeared that he tripped on the apple that Olivia dropped.

She could not help but stare in horror as the blade came down, just as Olivia was passing. A deafening shriek reverberated throughout the marketplace. Yuki had to shut her eyes in fear, but eventually opened them to see Olivia sobbing. The merchant's blade was stained at the tip. Olivia held her right eye with both hands as blood dripped through her fingers, the fruit she had gathered was scattered on the ground.

Yuki worried when the merchant tried to reach for Olivia, but the man was suddenly hit in the face with a brick. As the merchant lay on the ground, Oliver came running into the scene, yelling at the man for stabbing his sister. He undoubtedly took the role of a protective older brother as he went over to Olivia to comfort her. Many bystanders looked down at the merchant at that moment. Yuki could not see every detail, for the background was fading again, but she did catch a glimpse of the man getting fired. _That sucks for him. Then again, he was such a bully..._

In a mere blink, time skipped; Yuki was back in the small cave. Olivia was directly in front of her, sulking, her back against the wall. She was holding her eye silently, only with one hand; the blood from the previous hours had dried into a brownish color.

Within a minute, Oliver appeared; he held a small box. It contained bandages, accompanied by a dull silver object. Olivia glanced at Oliver, but then looked back down, edging away from him.

_Maybe I should have waited until later...she still looks very hurt...but I have to do this._ Oliver's voice echoed in Yuki's ears; making her jolt.

_How was I able to hear him?_ Yuki listened to the tone of his voice. Aside from the very girly sound, Oliver's voice sounded mature and calming, the polar opposite of the Oliver she had first met. After making such a comparison she wondered what had made Oliver so bitter.

"Please Livy...There's no point of keeping it. Your eye will only get infected. Let me take it out." Oliver spoke softly, receiving the brisk shaking of his sister's head as a reply. "Come on..." He persisted, slowing lifting that object, which resembled a butter knife, towards Olivia.

"No" She said chokingly. She hated being seen in tears, so she looked away, yet Oliver still got closer; he was nearly touching her face at that point. This process went on for a few minutes until Olivia finally forfeited. "Fine!" She snatched the object from Oliver. "I'll do it myself!" Her typical stubborn self temporarily resurfaced. Her hand trembled as she raised that object towards her face; she gulped as it was finally touching her eye. Oliver watched her, prepared to do the task himself in case she grew craven. She slowly pushed in; her tears began to flow again, but she managed to force it in pretty quickly.

"Careful" Her brother said.

"I KNOW THAT!" She shrieked as blood dripped from her eye once more. Olivia was sobbing like a mere toddler as this point; she was turning the blade to finish the job. The mutilated organ hung from her face; her breath was staggering. She could do no more but tremble. Oliver immediately tried to finish the job for her and reached for the dangling eyeball. "Get off!" She shoved Oliver away. "I can do it myself" Olivia said through her heavy hiccups. Hesitantly, she gripped her worthless eyeball. She glanced at Oliver to see if he would try to stop her, but he remained still. Seeing that she had no room for cowardice, Olivia closed her remaining eye tightly and yanked.

Once again, the surroundings became dark. Yuki remained perfectly in place. Sight returned to her fairly quick this time and she glanced around. Yuki was still in the cave, however, Oliver and Olivia were now at the entrance. Yuki notice their now increased height and how the overall appearance of their "home" had changed.

_Another one?_ She wondered how many times skips she would be going through before this all ended. The eye extraction made her want to hurl the precious apple she had eaten earlier. Nonetheless, the subject of focus was now at the door—_wait, since when did they have a door?_

Yuki walked towards the entrance. For a couple seconds she was too confused to react; the blondes on both of her sides shared such bewilderment. This new girl matched Yuki in hair, skin, and eye color, as well as height. Even their facial features matched. She felt like she was looking at herself in a mirror. If Yuki were human, she would have thought this girl was her ancestor.

"Hello" The girl said plainly. "I'm looking for a place to sleep. My name is Ainsley, and I hope I'm not too much of a burden."


	5. Chapter 4:Dreary Reminiscence, Part 2

_She even sounds like me!_ Yuki gaped slightly. _No wonder__ James called me Ainsley, we look like the same person!_ Yuki continued to look at Ainsley as though the young English girl was a spectacle. Ainsley, at first glance, would seem to be a daughter from a wealthy family, but she did have minor cuts and scratches. Regardless, she still looked several times healthier than Oliver and Olivia, who just stood there, not knowing how to react. After a few moments, Oliver said "Sure you can stay...here?" very hesitantly. "Welcome home!"Olivia added with much excitement, receiving an uneasy glance from her older brother. Ainsley walked into the cave, right through Yuki. _She even walks like a rich kid. _Yuki noticed how Ainsley had a partially confident stride in her walk, even though her expression looked troubled. This girl looked around the cave and chose the corner farthest into it as a place to sleep. She laid down a rather fancy-looking suitcase, which had her three-member audience staring curiously. Ainsley's face hinted that she was suppressing a laugh, but only Yuki noticed. In a matter of minutes, Ainsley was fast asleep; Oliver and Olivia were having a debate on what do do with her.

The setting turned pitch black once again. Yuki stood calmly in the darkness, still trying to process why James would want to bring her to this unknown location. A few moments passed; James appeared directly in front of Yuki, just as the dreary town-setting came back into place. Yuki looked up at James, then behind him to see Oliver. The unknown dark object was much smaller and directly above the boy's head; his yellow light resembled electricity as he twitched multiple times. "That was a mere introduction" James said. "Walk with me. Perhaps that would be less boring for you" he said as he began to head near the pitch-black area of town. _How will I see if I follow him?_ Yuki followed James regardless of her thoughts. Even if she could not see, Yuki could just grab onto James. The pitch-black area had then suddenly became visible, ridding Yuki's concern.

Yuki took in the "new" surroundings, which were near identical to the marketplace she saw earlier. If the place were not so lifeless, she would have though it was the same market she saw. "Does anything ring a bell?" James asked.

"Yes"

"Good. I would've hated wasting my time showing the whole story if you forgot it within a matter of minutes. Five points for a good attention span!"

"So... we _are_ in the same place?" Yuki questioned. "It feels more dead and creepy here..."

"It's the same place, you know, just without the sunlight, the people, the happy liveliness, et cetera..." James said. "Oliver lived here for a good chunk of his life" James' tone sounded rather melancholic. "Anyway...as for the reason I summoned you here..."

"_hmm?_" Yuki's curiosity rose at James' decision to finally talk. "I need you to help me, just in case that was not clear." He started. "Oliver was very important to me; he was very kind. I know this because I had accompanied him since he was the mere age of five" His speed of speaking seemed to increase. "He was not fortunate and suffered many a things he did not deserve for reasons I still cannot find out myself. I figured those terrible events made Oliver who he is now, so perhaps if they were _prevented—_"

"Then Oliver would be a good boy again and we'd be all happy?" Yuki guessed, still confused since James was talking very fast. She had barely pieced the words since her English comprehension was still shaky at fast-pace. She could tell that this conversation seemed to be another 'beginning' of something.

"You've got the basics, but I haven't explained where you come in yet. Let me get to it will you?" It was quite evident that James was trying to get to the point. "I need your help in altering the past."

"_Altering the past?_" Yuki could not fathom that in the slightest.

"Obviously, is that not what I just said?" James sort of eyed her.

"Yes but..." Yuki stopped speaking. When she considered the fact that James had already in fact sent her to the past, the thought of altering it only seemed half as complicated as before. "But what do I actually do? I'm just a little vocaloid..."

"Voca-what? That's doesn't matter. In case you hadn't noticed, you look _identical_ to Ainsley. That's why I bothered choosing you for such a task." James' explanation was beginning to make sense, but she still did not get what task that James was implying she would do. "Basically, I'm asking you to test you're acting skills. You are going to pretend to be Ainsley in the 2nd cycle of the events, which means you'll have to befriend Oliver, his sister, and another kid who you have not been introduced to yet." After speaking, James made a confused expression as though he lost his train of thought; he furrowed his eyebrows as he concentrated, trying to remember what he was about to say. "Oh! It's important that you see the remaining key events of their lives. It might help you figure out what you're going to do a tad bit more."

"Okay" Yuki nodded her head. _This would help me learn what's so bad...and what caused it..._Yuki thought about how Olivia had lost her eye, and how Oliver's corpse looked. _I hope it won't be really long..._

"Anyway, break-time's over. It's time I showed you the rest." James lightly tapped his foot on the dry, monochrome dirt, which floated up like dust. Before she could realize, Yuki was back directly in front of Oliver, with James to her side. The blond looked as though he were in a nightmare, struggling against his own conscience. The blood-colored portal glowed slightly; Yuki walked up to it, assuming she would be sent to the past again. She was absorbed by the portal as she predicted. Contrary to the darkness she previously experienced, the new internal environment of the portal was a dark green. Large spot of yellow-green light would float around, mimicking the movement of fireflies. Yuki moved around, feeling cool and refreshed, as though she were underwater. This scene was far more blissful than any other thing she had experienced so far, aside from the apples. Yuki almost let herself drift to sleep.

Snapping Yuki out of her trance, the lights began to concentrate into one spot, increasing the amount of heat and brightness in the room. If she were human, Yuki would have began to sweat waterfalls near the bright flame. The lights dimmed quickly, revealing James, who was now directly in front of her. Yuki adjusted her sight once again, for his appearances always seemed to make her feel blind. Once done rubbing her eyes, Yuki noticed that James had a slight smile on his face. _He looks kinda excited..._

"Due to lack of time, caused by Oliver's endurance, I will have to show you the remaining images quickly. It would be like watching a tape on fast forward.."

_A tape? What is...oh wait, right. Tapes were those things used before DVDs..._Yuki noted how 'up-to-date' James was with technology; she began to suppress a comical grin.

James placed his hands on Yuki's, and then moved them so that they were directly atop her temples; she stood there confused, until the umpteenth flash of light shone into her eyes. Unlike all of the previous ones, this light was not painful; it gave the illusion that liquid was being poured into her eyes. As James said, it was certainly like watching Oliver's life in fast-forward. She had probably seen months, no, _years _of events in a few minutes. Yuki finally felt like she was accomplishing something. Because she was a computer, she could simply go back over and look at the memories more closely at normal speed.

"I'll leave you to do your little review and make a decision". James said more sincerely than anything he said to the young girl. _Wait, how did he know what I was gonna do? Can he still read my-_

"Yes I can!" James waved at her as he went to attend Oliver, who undeniably had a gruesome headache. Yuki groaned to herself as she began to wander around the neighborhood. She looked for a nice place to sit, which was hard to find in such a desolate environment. Yuki noticed that the environment developed a slight shade of mauve, which was more colorful yet still depressing compared to the previous monochrome theme. The change was much more significantly noticed when Yuki approached the pier, for the purple shade added a mystical glow to the dull waters; the moonlight only magnified it. _I guess I'll just sit here? Yuki_ walked to the end of the pier and began to access her memory to be analyzed.

/Kaai_Yuki/memory_

|Edit| |Delete| |*Review|

/Review_Memory_log/memory_day_2X.31_hour_#? !

Yuki twitched. It seemed that she could not access her own memory of today. _How?_ Before panicking, she tried an alternative.

/access_RecentMemory/_

_3 files found_

_Three files? I'm only supposed to have one file per day...Is something wrong with my head or was I here for three whole days?_She opened the first two files of her recent memory; they were completely blank, which meant that she had been immobile, or unconscious. _But James acted like I was only asleep for a few minutes..._ Nothing was making sense at that moment. Yuki questioned if her data was even accurate, but if it was, that meant that James had been attending to her for three whole days? _Maybe time is messed up here?_ If time did run properly, waiting for an unconscious girl on the floor to wake up for three days sounded pretty desperate of James. _Can't he just summon another person?_

_Anyway..._Yuki refocused and opened her last file.

The third files was in fact her memories of that day; she spent several hours looking over the set of memories James had given her. With some extra effort, she slowed them down to a normal speed and began viewing them as they were television programs. After about an hour, she caught a grasp of the everyday routine, and began skipping through memories to make the process faster. She did find the constant spats between Oliver and Olivia entertaining; Ainsley's effort to stop them each time made Yuki pity her. _It's not happening..._ She giggled. The more memories she saw, the more Yuki could relate to Ainsley. She acted like she suddenly had everything thrown at her at once, yet somehow managed to deal with it. _I guess I really have to be like that..._ The grade-school student sighed. She skipped a few more weeks of memory, and a new young boy appeared; his name was Noah. The little boy's cuteness reminded her of her friend Ryuto, or Gachapoid, as many called him.

The more disturbing events began to take place, starting with the presence of the merchant and some boy that vaguely resembled Oliver. It seemed that shortly after that boy appeared, Oliver was ambushed. Once kidnapped and isolated, Oliver had his clothes forcibly taken off of him to be used as a disguise. Yuki would have desperately closed her eyes if the images were not occurring inside her head. Her disgust was only increased during the murders of Olivia and Noah, followed by Oliver's false accusation. Yuki was crying as Ainsley shouted at him, saying that he betrayed the bond that the four of them had; she only cried more when Oliver began to shed tears at this unintentional betrayal. Why_ Ainsley?! He didn't do it..._ Yuki thought as though she were watching a TV drama.

The bitter events continued, taking a dull turn. It was hard for Yuki to pay much attention, since Oliver was simply sulking in a cell for days. This irked her since Ainsley was in luxury comfort as this was happening. The only reason she did not skip this whole scenario was that Ainsley's father, whose name she kept forgetting, was helping Oliver get out of jail. Yuki summarized all of the info she was getting and skimmed until Oliver was released. She made more mental notes on Ainsley's father, Hannah, and Aaron, who seemed to have made the process possible. Afterward, she viewed a small portion of Oliver adjusting to the orphanage, but skipped several weeks worth of events. It was mostly just Oliver having endless conversations with two other kids. His social side was definitely exposed more at this point in his life.

Yuki began to pay attention again at the mention of a boy named Ron's birthday. _That guy is almost seventeen?!_ Yuki gaped at the fact, for he barely looked a day above fourteen. She also could not help but notice that Oliver looked dramatically healthier. _Anyway..._She refocused on the setup for Ron's birthday; it was pretty typical, yet all of the children acted as if was something never done before. _Well...This __**is**_ _the past. _Yuki wondered where Ron was the whole time, but that did not matter much since he appeared just when they finished preparing. Just like any party, the young ones got carried away with a game; the ball they were playing with got launched way out of the play area. Oliver, Mai and Ron went to get it. _Why do three people have to get one ball? _She giggled.

Instead of finding the ball, the three found the corpse of Ainsley's father, and Hannah looming over it. _Oh brother..._ Yuki could tell that things were not going to end well at this point; her assumption was confirmed when Mai was afflicted with a gunshot wound, which lead to the paths of Oliver and Ron splitting up. Hannah did not seem to be the killer type at first glance, which creeped Yuki out that she would have the guts to kill Nathaniel in cold-blood, and shoot Mai, who was a fairly young girl. Now this crazed woman was chasing Oliver, who was running for his life. Yuki found it surprising that any human could pull off running for as long as the young blonde did, which must have jinxed him falling over the slope. The amount of injury caused by the fall made certain that the chase was over; Yuki reluctantly watched Oliver's final moments, being held at gunpoint.

Witnessing Oliver die undeniably left some trauma in Yuki's expression; she could barely watch anything after that, but she could catch a small glimpse of Ainsley for the last time. It appeared as though the young girl was crying over a poorly carved stone. After finishing her 'review' of Oliver's life, Yuki stretched and let out a yawn as if she were asleep; she sighed as she got up from the pier. _That was sad...I don't like being sad..._

"Agreed" James said as he walked up from behind Yuki. "Have you made your decision?"

"Um..."Yuki started.

"You're going to help me regardless, just in case you didn't know, but your answer does determine _how_ you are going to help me." James explained, causing Yuki to roll her eyes. She turned around to face him directly. "_Yes_, I 'm willing to help."

"Even if it's dangerous?"

"You said I didn't have a choice anyway..."

"Fair enough, we'll start exactly twenty-four hours from now. Try not to die of boredom waiting for me!" James waved before transforming back to a bird; he flew away to a place where Yuki could no longer see him, leaving her by herself yet again.

_As if it's possible for a vocaloid to die..._ She shrugged off James' last comment and headed back to the pier.


	6. Chapter 5:Commenced

**Chapter 5: Commenced**

Yuki remained at the pier for the full twenty-four hours of waiting; her body was in a 'standby' state, as a common personal computer would be after being inactive for so long. She had not moved even the slightest millimeter until James pecked her shoulder repeatedly. Once he did, Yuki jolted up as though she had never been resting but rather anticipating it. "Good day, James-san"

"Daytime doesn't exist here!" James chirped a tad too happily. "Are ya ready Yuki?"

"No!" The young girl accidentally thought aloud. "I mean...could I have..."

"What?" The once cheerful goldfinch now seemed to be frustrated by what appeared to be Yuki stalling.

"Could I have more stuff to look at?" Yuki made up a sentence under pressure.

"What kind of things?" The bird turned his head with curiosity; Yuki used this opportunity to improvise more excuses.

"Umm...Are there memories of Oliver before he met Ainsley, besides the gross one where his sis gets her eye cut up?" Yuki asked, amazed by her own ability to make up lines as she went along. The bird which had brought her to the ghost town pondered for a few moments.

"Yes, there are more memories, but how would they contribute to the situation, _positively_?"

"They could help me relate to Oliver and Olivia more..." Yuki said hesitantly. After completing the statement, she actually did wonder how they acted back then, before their circumstances became grim.

"There is...one memory, but I doubt that would help." James interrupted Yuki's train of thought as he shifted back into human form. Without any warning, both of his hands were placed on Yuki's head; she blacked out shortly after.

Oliver was viewing from a distance since James would not let him near Yuki, which irked him a lot. _Yes, I snapped a little bit, maybe a lot, but still..._

"Oliver!" James shouted. "Knowing you, you eavesdropped most of our conversation" He paused, receiving a nod from his owner. "I assume you know the deal then?"

"You turning human on me all of a sudden had to have meant something..."Oliver shrugged. "But I didn't expect a plan so ridiculous. What can a _little girl_ do for me?" He rolled his eye and leaned against the wall. "Whatever, just make sure she wakes up and we'll see how badly this goes."

"..." James saw no point in speaking. _Well, we do need to wake her up. We can agree on that one thing..._ He thought, staring down at the ground.

Many things confused Yuki as the memory unraveled, especially since James did not say a word. She stood in the grass; Two very young kids ran by her, towards a pale brick house. _That must be Oliver and Olivia._ She saw the two young blondes, who were at most five, and noticed little difference in their appearances. The closer they got to the house, the more blurry things became in Yuki's eyesight. The door to the brick house was opened; two people came out: a man and a woman. Their faces were hardly visible, but Yuki could notice their hair colors: brown and blond. The woman bent down to pick up the children, which she did with a surprising amount of ease. Oliver and Olivia were giggling ceaselessly. The man next to them, who Yuki assumed was the father, was holding a small cage; an even smaller bird was contained inside. In hardly an instant, the two kids stared in amazement. The woman, who Yuki assumed was their mom, placed them down so that they could get a better view of the bird..._Is that James?_ Yuki thought as the bird was released. Oliver and Olivia put their all into chasing the little bird; the couple watched their kids, walking closer to make sure that they would not do anything dangerous. Once the bird was finally 'caught', Oliver and Olivia walked back to their parents; the four shared multiple embraces as the bird was perched atop Oliver's head. _They look like such a happy family..._Yuki thought, then suddenly realized: _Their parents! What happened to them?_ Yuki recalled the two blondes mentioning their parents a few times, but in previous memories, there was no visual of them; even this image was indistinct. Yuki sighed with much irritation as the vague memory ended.

Yuki woke up flat on her face on the pier; she could see almost every detail of Oliver's foot, much more than she ever wanted to see. She got up to her knees to see him looking down at her. His stare sent chills down her spine. She couldn't tell if he was angry or not. Oliver dropped an apple onto Yuki's lap and walked away quickly as if he could not stand looking at her any longer. _This is who I have to help? Why?_ She bit into the apple without much hesitation. She could not have cared less if there was poison in the apple, she was very hungry, or at least felt that she was. As she ate, she began to think again. _If I go to the past, I won't be able to watch TV or play many games...I don't think I'll get to draw a lot either...and I won't be with my friends for a long time. I'll have to speak good English too...and...I might get hurt bad..._Yuki recalled the unpleasant event of Oliver's life; she did not want to imagine herself going through that pain the slightest bit, for even a moment's thought made her shudder. _I don't have time for this. Hiyama-sensei will worry! I wanna go home...How long will this even be?...This apple tastes really good, is it honey crisp? Where do they even get apple here? This place looks like dead bodies..._Yuki continued her serious-then-childish train for talk for quite another while.

After finishing her apple, Yuki sat for a short while on the edge of the pier, like before. However, due to her anxious mood, she could not remain still for more than five minutes. Even while she sat, Yuki fidgeted and looked around as though scared. Shortly, she got up and began to walk around, hoping that would calm her nerves. It was strange, how at first she was uneasy, then would become nonchalant, only to feel twice as much fear afterward. Just how dangerous was this predicament she got placed into? Would it be conveniently facile since she knew exactly when events would go wrong, or would it be of higher difficulty than any other task she had done in her life? Yuki took in the dead looking houses and grasses around her yet again. The environment was anything but encouraging. Before she could force herself into getting anymore worried, the two boys that were the source of all her stress appeared directly before her, as if out of nowhere. She looked up at both of them; James was completely emotionless, while Oliver maintained the same pessimistic attitude in his expression. The exchange of glances was more than enough explanation that their task was about to begin. For some odd reason, the area felt a few degrees colder than usual.

In that same spot, Oliver sat down quietly; he looked up at Yuki one last time before closing his eyes. James placed one hand slightly above Oliver's head and the other in front of his chest. After a few seconds of holding this position, James lightly tapped the areas which he had his hands over; Those areas of Oliver's body had a dim yellowish glow, which faded quickly. James then picked up Oliver and began carrying him away. Yuki stared for a while, until James gave her a look that said 'Why aren't you following?'. She had a little squeak slip out of her mouth as she scurried over to catch up. They continued walking on the old dusty path until they were back at the deserted town area, but they did not stop there. James picked up his walking pace; Yuki echoed this action, wondering where they were going. They passed by almost every single building in the town area until they reached the edge of town. When they stopped walking, they looked like they were in front of what used to be a shop.

James made a cursory movement with his head, signaling for Yuki to walk in. She walked into the dusty building, only to have unwelcome guests fly into her eyes. She ignored the discomfort in her teary eyes when she heard James tell her to find a large sharp object, such as a knife. She questioned why he would need something like that, but Yuki did not bother debating. She could not find any knives, but did find a slightly rusty pair of scissors, all the way near where the area a clerk would stand. It was the only object in the entire store..._but why?_ Yuki walked out, holding the object, with a puzzled expression; James was already heading away, making have to run and catch up once again. This second time they began their walk, they very well could have walked for miles. Yuki wanted to complain, but she then considered that not only was James traveling by foot with her, but he was also _carrying_ a boy more than half his size. Instead of bickering, she just stared at the ground they walked on. It was noticeably more colored than the town area they left; The vegetation seemed to increase. There were even trees developing the further they walked. They were mostly small and scattered, but the place did not seem as desolate anymore. After what seemed like ages, James made another stop, temporarily. He turned his body to the left; Yuki looked in the same direction. They were on the same slope that Oliver was killed on...

_What are we doing here? I thought we were finally going to get something done..._ Yuki continued suppressing her multiple negative emotions, but sincerely wanted _something _to happen. James and Yuki carefully proceeded down the slope to the spot that Oliver was murdered. As they edged closer, the areas of Oliver that James had touched earlier were beginning to glow again. They seemed to glow and dim out according to Oliver's breathing, hinting that the blonde's breathing was irregular for some reason. James placed Oliver down on the ground gently; the yellow glow was now at its brightest, shining like a miniature source of sunlight. Once again, James lightly tapped Oliver's chest, making the glow consistently shine without stopping. After this, James got on his knees and bowed his head as if he were making some type of prayer.

"Yuki"

"Yes?" Yuki said.

"Give me the blade" James held out his hand ready to accept whatever sharp object Yuki had. _Wait, what is he going to do with this?_ Yuki was suddenly getting scared. _Is he gonna use it on Oliver? But wait-_

"_Yuki_" James said again, holding out his hand to emphasize his demand.

"Okay!" She almost slapped the rusty scissors into his hand because of how she was provoked, but James hardly reacted. All he did was open it and point towards himself. As he took in a deep breath, James gave himself a cut underneath his collarbone. He then made a his sound of pain; a teardrop began to form in his eye, yet he continued to work. Directly after that moment of pain, James dabbed some of his blood onto the rusty scissors, and Yuki could only stand in awe at what happened next.

The rust on the scissors then evaporated into thin air; a light-green flame surrounded the blades, causing the yellow glow on Oliver's chest to somehow glow brighter. James then closed the two blades on the scissors together and took in another deep inhale. The first thing Yuki heard was a grunt followed by an ungodly screech. Even though she stood right next to James as it all happened, Yuki still had to reprocess what happened: James had closed the blade, aimed it, then sharply thrust it into Oliver's chest, exactly where he had been shot by Hannah. The practically demonic yawp that came from Oliver temporarily made Yuki's ears have a 'shutdown'. Her eyes were in the shape of circles as she looked down at he now silent Oliver. _Is he dead...again? _Yuki thought as James pulled out the blade, but was then proven wrong, for the blonde began breathing again, however, his breathing was much raspier now. Blood began to shoot up from his chest like a fountain with no control in its flow; it then gradually suspended after slowing down midair. As this happened, Oliver turned into the color of ash and began to fade; his body was blown away by wind like ordinary dust, and absorbed by the bloodbath of abeyance.

_Wait, is it...that again?_ Yuki began to recall the last time she thought that James was assaulting Oliver, but was merely using a strange magic to create a portal; she felt partially relieved, hoping that this was just another portal journey, yet at the same time fearing the thought. The pool of floating liquid, donning the color of the dull crimson rose, then descended onto the ground, becoming no thicker than a mat. Yuki must have blinked at least a hundred times through this whole process, but stopped herself when James tugged slightly on her hand and gestured for her to get in. Due to shock from witnessing evens that would have only seemed possible through fiction, Yuki fell down and plummeted like a plank of wood, unable to say a word to James. The inside of this portal was like a night of the new moon, without any city or town lights in sight; it was by far the darkest she had seen aside from pitch black. Once Yuki finally stopped falling, she got up, readjusted her clothes, and began to walk around in this brand-new nothingness. There was absolutely no way that this was her destination; she cried out James' name, only to receive silence as a reply, or so she thought. A few ticks later; the area subliminally darken to pitch black, and then revealed an environment that she had not seen before.

With her first breath, Yuki took in the scent of fresh earth and grasses; she felt the coolness of the slightly wet dirt beneath her. She looked up at the sky to see a dark nighttime sky filled with stars, sparkling like glitter on some of her best art projects. Reluctantly, she got up from the ground, wishing she could just sleep on it a little; she felt a rough edge of some object on the side of her hand. Yuki turned and looked down to see that it was a suitcase, a rather old-fashioned looking one at that. Suddenly, a chilling sensation took over her, as if someone suddenly turn down the thermostat 15 degrees. Yuki wished that she was not programmed to feel temperature, for hated the cold with a passion. _Ugh...Why do I suddenly feel sad? I was just good, but now it's cold and it feels like my skin has bugs crawling on it..._ As Yuki shivered, she had suddenly realized that her clothes were gone; in place, was much more older fashioned attire. _Great..._ She looked up and noticed that she was not that far from a tremendously large house.

"Where is she?!" A man's voice called out bitterly; he was certainly frustrated beyond imagination.

"I don't know." A much calmer, younger voice replied.

"Then _find_ her dammit!" The first man shouted, this time with more concern in his voice, but he was still angry. After listening to the brief conversation, Yuki concluded that they were closer by than desired; she had the urge to leave and wasted no time doing so. She picked up the suitcase by her and went on a fast-paced walk away from the sound. This process more than likely only lasted a few minutes at most, for Yuki later heard the younger voice call out that he heard something in the trees. She did not know whether this sensation was anger or fear, or why she felt it to such a high degree, but once she felt that sudden ache in her chest, as if someone was grabbing her heart, adrenaline kinked in and she began running as full speed. Though her body was hidden by the greens of the earth, the sound of her restless feet faintly echoed in the dark night.

"Huh?" The younger man thought aloud as he tried to peer into the woods.

"What? Did you find her?!" The older man asked, with many expressions mixed together on his face.

"I-I thought that I heard something, but I guess I was wrong...sorry Nathaniel, but I do not see your daughter anywhere. Again, I am deeply sorry"

"...Don't worry yourself Aaron...this is not your fault whatsoever...but..." Nathaniel let his body fall down into a squatting position, though it appeared he was ready to fall on his knees.

"Why would _my only child_ want to leave me?!" He exhaled loudly; Aaron turned away, not wanting to stare at his boss' emotional state.

Yuki continued to run, more breathless than ever; she gradually slowed down to the point that someone nonchalantly skipping would be "running" faster than her. She could not help but wonder how her stamina had sharply decreased. Was she not a Vocaloid with a virtually unlimited stamina? Even if she was running short on electrical power, she would still not be suffering this much fatigue. She gave up running and began a series of labored breaths, forcing herself to walk as she did so. The tension she felt seemed to instantly disappear as she began her walk; her breath eventually caught up with her. As she regained her breath, she noticed that her hand was against her building. Had she subconsciously put her hand there when she stopped running? She could not even recall feeling anything in her hand before now. Just then, she had realized: _A building? I'm actually somewhere!_ Yuki let out a beaming smile in the middle of silent night. Even though she was still clueless as to where exactly she was, there was at least a chance of figuring out.

Yuki walked around the building and found it oddly familiar. It was a rather old-fashioned shop selling rather miscellaneous items; neighboring I was a fish shop, which lacked pleasant aroma by quite a large amount. It was possible that someone was rearranging within the shop, more than likely trying to dispose of whatever foetid material was in there. Her first thought was that she could ask the people inside for help, but then she mentally slapped herself. _It's not safe. It's really late and I can't just talk to strangers..._But who exactly did she know in this place? She took another look around the area to realize that the entire place was filled with shops. _This is the marketplace!_ The young girl jumped up at her realization. There was a few differences, such as an improvement in quality from what she had seen, some missing stores, and the fact that it was nighttime, making it hard to recognize the neighborhood. Yuki did not not care about those facts now that she knew where she was, though it was still a bit of a challenge to navigate. Everything she looked at seemed dark blue or black, aside from a few greens on the ground. Yuki figured that if she walked in one direction she would sooner or later find something helpful. Her rather simple logic turned out to be correct when she found herself near the area of the pier.

Without delay, the girl in red resumed running until she found herself in the sandy area that she was in originally. Her confidence was being restored; she was finally in a sort of peace. She took in a few moments to relax, knowing that too much haste would not be good for her; for the first time she noticed crickets chirping and that it was such a strange sound. She looked up at the sky once more, but the moon was absent from her sight, taking away her dream-like daze and snapping her back to this apparent reality. Yuki went to the place that she vaguely recalled, the hidden entrance under the pier. _Why didn't James-san say anything to me this whole time?_She wondered as she approached he door.

_I figured that you would be able to figure this out o n your own, or, I hoped so anyway._James seemed to speak in her mind again.

"If you cannot figure out something as simple as this on your own, then you would be no help to me. I was testing you." He said bluntly.

"Well, are you gonna give me tips now?" Yuki asked, seriously wanting to be relived of her confusion.

"..."

"Well?"

"Let me _think_ will ya?!" James snapped, causing the young girl to flinch.

"Sorry...umm...I honestly do not have _that _much to say. I sent you to a time period after Olivia lost her eyes, maybe two or so years out. They are about nine at this point in time, so you have_plenty_ of time for planning. However, since you have about thee years, I would recommend,.if not require, befriending Oliver and his sister. None of the drama that I've showed you will be going down anytime soon."

"_Three __**years**_?" Yuki was dumbfounded. "What about-"

"Don't worry about your family and friends. They are a thing of the past—uh, _future_, I mean. The won't be worried, for when I send you back, it will be as if you were only gone a short while. Anyway, let' get down to business: remember to introduce yourself as Ainsley; appear as harmless as possible. Those two squirts behind the door are the definition of 'paranoid'"

"What does paranoid mean?" Yuki asked.

"Find out yourself. That door won't open itself." James seemed to laugh before "disappearing" from Yuki's mind.

Yuki knocked on the door; her heart began to beat faster due to anxiety. _Wait, don't I have to speak English to them? I hardly know anything besides introductions when it comes to speaking. _Yuki would have to heavily rely on her listening ability. Slowly, the old wooden door creaked open; an eye stared at her, giving her chills. In a few seconds, Yuki heard whispering and the door was opened. The girl who stood in front of her was no one other than Olivia, the girl she witnessed lose and organ and die not too long ago. Her eye was in fact missing as Yuki remembered, but Olivia's hair was slightly longer in length, and a lot messier as well. Hardly an inch behind her, but standing more than an inch above her in height was Oliver, who had a slightly irritated expression of being woken up too soon. Not a word was spoken, so Yuki decided to break the silence.

"Uh..._Greetings, my name is...Ainsley. Could I please have a place to sleep?_"


End file.
